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Did you know? Kershaw's no-hitter

6/18/14: Clayton Kershaw strikes out a career-high 15 batters in his first career no-hitter and the 22nd no-hitter in Dodgers history

By Doug Miller
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MLB.com |

Facts and figures in the wake of Clayton Kershaw's no-hitter on Wednesday night against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium.

Is this the most strikeouts in a no-hitter and/or in a no-hit, no-walk game?

It's not the most strikeouts recorded in a no-hitter. That record is held by Nolan Ryan, who fanned 17 batters in a no-no for the Angels and against the Tigers on July 15, 1973. Kershaw's 15-strikeout performance tied for third with Warren Spahn and Don Wilson. Ryan had 16 K's in a no-no on May 1, 1991.

Kershaw's does, however, qualify as the most strikeouts in a no-hitter with no walks. Next on that list are Sandy Koufax's perfect game on Sept. 9, 1965, and Matt Cain's perfecto on June 13, 2012. Both struck out 14.

According to Game Score, a metric created by baseball statistic guru Bill James to rank how effective a pitcher was in a game, Kershaw's 102 was the best ranking a no-hitter has produced and the second-best pitching performance of any kind, trailing only Kerry Wood's 20-strikeout, one-hit, no-walk game in 1998, which earned a Game Score of 105.

The next-best Game Scores for no-hitters were 101, achieved by Cain's perfecto in 2012, Ryan's no-no in 1991 and Koufax's perfect game in 1965, and 100, earned by Randy Johnson in his perfect game in 2004, Ryan's no-no in July 1973 and Spahn's no-no in 1960.

How many teams have had two no-hitters in a season?

On Wednesday night, the Dodgers became the 17th team in Major League Baseball history to throw two no-hitters in one season. Here's a complete list:

Twenty-two overall, and 12 since the team moved to Los Angeles. Counting their time in Brooklyn, the Dodgers have the most no-hitters of any team in MLB history.

Is this the shortest time between no-hitters for a team in a single season?

No. Twenty-four days (between Beckett's no-no for the Dodgers against the Phillies on May 25 and Kershaw's) is impressive, but it doesn't come close.

The 1917 St. Louis Cardinals threw no-hitters by Koob and Groom on consecutive days, though it wasn't in back-to-back games as Groom's was in the second game of a doubleheader. Vander Meer of the 1938 Cincinnati Reds threw no-hitters in consecutive starts, separated by a mere four days, and Seward and Weyhing of the 1888 Philadelphia A's spun no-no's within five days of one another.

How many teams with two no-hitters in a season have gone on to win the World Series?

Just two: The 1916 Boston Red Sox and 1951 New York Yankees. The 1956 Dodgers went to the Series but lost to the Yankees in seven games.

Where does Kershaw rank among the youngest pitchers to throw a no-hitter?

At 26 years of age, he doesn't even crack the top five.

How many no-hitters have taken place at Dodger Stadium, and where does that rank among ballparks?

Not counting combined no-hitters, Dodger Stadium has hosted 11 individual no-no's, which ranks second of all the ballparks to Fenway Park's 13. The old Yankee Stadium checks in third with 10.

How many Texans have thrown no-hitters?

Ten pitchers, including Dallas native Kershaw, born in the Lone Star State have twirled no-no's, and since Ryan (seven) and Homer Bailey (two) accounted for nine of them, there are 17 total no-hitters among the Texans. Here they are:

Who was the last pitcher (before Kershaw) to throw a no-hitter in Dodger Stadium?

Ramon Martinez for the Dodgers against the Florida Marlins on July 14, 1995.

How many no-hitters has Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully called?

Kershaw's was No. 19, believe it or not.

How many no-hitters have there been that would have been perfect games except for an error?

The last time it happened before Wednesday night, Jonathan Sanchez of the Giants pitched a no-hitter and didn't walk a batter on July 10, 2009, against the Padres, but Juan Uribe made an error at third base in the eighth inning.

Other no-hitters with no walks but one error happened to Terry Mulholland of the Phillies against the Giants on Aug. 15, 1990; Jerry Reuss of the Dodgers against the Giants on June 27, 1980; Dick Bosman of the Indians on July 19, 1974, against the A's; rookie Bill McCahan of the Philadelphia A's against the Washington Senators on Sept. 3, 1947; and Walter Johnson for the Senator against the Red Sox on July 1, 1920.

Horlen in 1967 and Bob Forsch in 1983 also threw no-hitters with no walks and one error, but they each hit a batter.

Christy Mathewson's no-hitter on June 13, 1905, included two errors.

How many reigning Cy Young winners have thrown a no-hitter?

Kershaw was only the third. The others were Koufax in 1964 and Bob Gibson in 1971.

How many no-hitters have been thrown on the same day that Bartolo Colon hit a double?

Just this one.

Doug Miller is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @DougMillerMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.